I love being a graphic designer.
Not only has it been my vocation since 1980 – it’s been my passion as well. I take pride in my work, and in the results my clients have achieved due to my efforts. From magazine publishing, to corporate boardrooms, to small businesses, to non-profits – it has been a journey I wouldn't trade for anything.
Good design is an emotional and visceral expression. It happens when we capture the essence of the client’s message. Your audience will feel the attraction of the offer or brochure or catalog.
The best designs empower, evoke, persuade, connect, motivate, and inspire. When it’s right, graphic design will make your communication more effective – more than the sum of its parts.
I’m eager to discuss how Cowles Graphic Design can work with you on your next graphic design project. My team and I promise that you’ll benefit from the passion we put into our work.
Bette Cowles
How We Work
Yes, we have extensive experience with small business, large corporations, non-profits and individuals, but we certainly haven’t seen everything. A telephone call to 845-358-1175 will tell us both if there’s a good fit between our capabilities and your requirements.
Determining your needs and objectives
Tell us what you want to accomplish and how you’re accustomed to working. What are your concerns and constraints? We’ll ask some questions about your project based upon our years of experience. Depending upon the nature of your request, we’ll either suggest some additional discussion or propose a budget and timetable.
Design stages – concept to final
Our design work begins with the concepts you wish to communicate and content to present, and the vehicle in which they’re presented. It could be an advertisement, brochure, publication, direct mail piece, website, t-shirt, postcard, or whatever you can think of to express your value to your prospects and customers.
We usually work up several design ideas, which we’ll email you as Adobe Acrobat files. Sometimes we nail it the first time around; sometimes two or three design rounds are required. Once you’ve approved the concepts, we’ll translate them into more finished project drafts for comment and final revision.
Printing and post-production
If your project involves printing or other post-design production that requires expert supervision, we can make ourselves available to be on-press with your job. We have first-hand experience with a variety of printers, and can assist you when it’s time to select a printer.
Financial details
When we propose an estimate of design costs it is for our services and includes delivery of electronic document files to you or your printer. Illustrations, photographs, and other artwork acquired at your direction are billed additionally, as are printed color proofs, express shipping, messengers and other miscellaneous expenses. Our practice is to request a 50% deposit before initiating projects for first-time clients, with the balance billed at net 30 days upon completion.
Our Technology
Mac OS or Windows – We work on both platforms so we can provide you with the file format you require. These are some of the software titles we work with on a daily basis –
- Adobe Acrobat (versions 5 – 7)
- Adobe Illustrator (versions 6 – 8, CS)
- Adobe Photoshop (versions 6 – 8, CS)
- Macromedia Dreamweaver (MX & MX 2004)
- Microsoft Access (Office 95 – 2003)
- Microsoft Excel (Office 95 – 2003)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 95 – 2003)
- Microsoft Word (Office 95 – 2003)
- QuarkXPpress (versions 4 & 6)
Hardware & Operating Systems
On the Mac, we have several G4 machines running either OS X Panther or OS 9. We run Windows XP and 2000 on a mix of
Pentium 3 and 4 desktops and laptop.
Large files can be uploaded to our FTP site; call us for details.
